eNotes
May 14, 2024Updates from the ECTA Center
ECTA Center on the Think Inclusive Podcast: Building High-Quality Systems Supporting Inclusive Education for Young Learners with Disabilities
Christina Kasprzak and Megan Vinh, co-directors of the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center discuss the Center’s role in shaping inclusive educational systems for early childhood on a recent Think Inclusive podcast. The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education (MCIE) produces Think Inclusive and works to build bridges between families, educators, and people with disabilities to advocate for inclusive education.
The leaders discuss tools and resources that ECTA develops to support practitioners and families. As they relate some of the challenges in creating inclusive systems they reaffirm the proven benefits of inclusion for children, with and without disabilities. This is the third in a series that is partnership between ECTA and Think Inclusive.
News from the Field
Child Opportunity Index (COI)
Children who live in neighborhoods with quality schools, safe housing, access to healthy food, parks, clean air, and economic opportunities are more likely to grow into healthy, productive adults than children who do not have access to these resources. Diversity Data Kids Child Opportunity Index (COI) measures and maps the quality of resources and conditions that matter for children's healthy development in the neighborhoods where they live. The COI contains data for every neighborhood (census tract) in the United States from 2012 through 2021. It has 44 indicators in three domains (education, health and environment, and social and economic) and 14 subdomains.
Hands & Voices: Off to a Great Start
Hands & Voices' new website, Off to a Great Start, offers providers and families resources and activities to support the early intervention (EI) journey for families of children who are deaf/hard of hearing. Key resources include:
- Family Support Activities Guide promotes family learning in wellbeing (how you are doing), knowledge (what you need to know), and empowerment (the confidence to get where you are going). It can be used by families and those providing family support.
- 8 Reasons to say YES to Early Intervention for your child who is Deaf/Hard of Hearing(D/HH) illustrates the importance of EI as soon as there is a confirmed diagnosis.
- 5 Reasons to Say YES to Assessments in Early Intervention gives families a vision of their role as their child’s best advocate in those first valuable years in EI and beyond.
- Parent Tip Sheets provide fun, everyday activities to enhance infants' cognitive, social, emotional, language, pre-literacy, and literacy development. Additional parent tips sheets on Language, Literacy and Social Development are also available.
Is Early Childhood Education Ready for AI?
Interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has surged among K-12 and college educators, but in early childhood, those discussions are still in the beginning stages. In Is early childhood education ready for AI?, Isabelle Hau, the executive director of Stanford Accelerator for Learning, explores the potential benefits and challenges of AI in early learning. In response to a question about specific ways that AI technology is emerging in early childhood classrooms, Dr. Hau mentions the Filming Interaction to Nurture Development (FIND) tool and Google glasses for children with challenges recognizing emotions.
US Lags Far Behind with Parental Leave and Early Care and Education than the Rest of the World
In US is way stingier with maternity leave and child care than the rest of the world author Joya Misra explores how wealthy countries, child care and preschool are considered a mainstay of the educational system. But in the U.S., only about two-thirds of all children between the ages of 3 and 6 are getting publicly supported early care and education of any kind, including kindergarten, versus nearly all of the kids that age in France. High-quality early childhood education programs are associated with many excellent outcomes for children from lower-income families, including higher rates of educational attainment, employment and wages. When governments invest in child care and parental leave, it fosters a more productive, healthy, and creative workforce.
Research
Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Grant: Applications Due June 16
This research will encourage grant applications to support research designed to elucidate the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and optimal means of service delivery in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) grant supports small, discrete, well-defined projects that can be completed in two years and that require limited resources. R03 applications may include development of new research methodologies or technology, secondary analysis of existing data, and pilot or feasibility studies. Preliminary data are not required, particularly in applications proposing pilot or feasibility studies. Applicants pursuing exploratory/developmental research to support early and conceptual stages of project development should consider the companion R21 FOA, PA-21-200. Application Deadline is June 16, 2024.